Device for locking lines of type.



0. E. GILBERT.- DEVIGE FOR LOOKING LINES OF TYPE. APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 6, 1912.

iiiii a 1 mvvrasszs/ Macaw 7oz? Patent ed Dec. 2, 1913. r

cnann'ns E. GILBERT, or roar WAYNE,

INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH COMPANY, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DE ICE FOR LOOKING LINES OF TYPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 6, 1912.

Serial No. 729,735.

To all whom/it may concern:

'Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. Gunner; acitizen of the United States, residing at: Fort l Vayne, in the county of Allen and; State of Indiana, have invented a certain: new and useful Improvement in-Devices for? Looking Lines of Type, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionflreference being had "to the accompanying; drawings. f This invention-relates to means for lock-3 ing the end of a line of type toprevent the; shifting or displacement thereof. S The invention is prim arilyconcerned with} grooved type which are held between rails. Its object is to provide a simple, inexpensive; device adapted to beinserted between ad-l jacent rails and engage'the endmost type and eifectively lock it against shifting, so: long as it is desired to have it' remain locked; but which may be very easily removed: when it is desired'to release a line. To this end the invention consists of apeculiarly formed bent spring, which is; 2 dapted to be shoved lengthwise of the rails: in the space between'them and against the; endmost type held between the rails and to; bind on the rails to effectively lock the type.{ The spring maybe easily inserted by a tool, the end of which is placed between the rails? and which shoves on one leg of'the spring." Corresponding movement in the reverse di-; rection releases the spring. 1 My invention is clearly shown in the drawings hereof. Figure l is a side elevation of a rail on; the projecting edge of which rests a line, of type and in. the groove of which stand. two of my locking springs. A cooperatingf rail which enters the other grooves in the: type and extends above and below the; springs is omitted from the view, which is{ a vertical section across the bar or strap? which holds the rails; Fig. 2 is an end view of a portion of a type blanket consisting of a series of parallel rails held by cross bars or straps, this view showing type inposition between rails and showing one of my locking springs in place; Fig. 3 is a plan of two type holding rails, type carried between them and one of my locking springs held between them: Figs. 4c and 5 are side elevation of a rail with type and one ot' my locking springs and a portion of the tool,

Fig. 4 illustrating the operation of placing the lock and Fig. 5 the operation of removv ing it; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lock itself.

Referring by numerals to the parts shown 1 indicates rails which have overhanging edges 2 and are mounted side by side and separated fromeach other on a suitable base indicated by the cross strips 9. These strips may be flexible, to make a flexible type holder adapted to be mounted about a drum, or they may be rigid, and they may be fiat or curved as desired. The rails 1 are shown of an I-shape in cross section whereby each rail has a-head2 and base 3 projecting in each direction and grooves 4 in'the sides of the rail between'the head and base.

The type are designated 5. They are shown as short members having grooves 6 in their opposite sides by which they may be held in lines between the rails, the heads 2 entering these grooves 6 and the foot of the type 7 below the grooves extending into the grooves a of the rails. The type may loosely fit these rails and still be held thereby against radial displacement or displacement cross wise of the lines, so that it is only necessary to provide means for preventing thetype' shifting lengthwise of the lines.

' To prevent the type shifting lengthwise I place between adjacent rails 1 in the grooves 4 thereof springs shown at 10. In each of the figures these springs are of the formshown, each being a leaf spring preferably of a single thickness of metal bent at 11 to provide a substantially straight leg'12 on one side of the bend and a longer leg 13 on the other side, which has at its end agradual curve 14 extending slightly backwardly fromthe highest point of the curve it as shown in the drawings. 'Arising abruptly from the curved portion 14: is shown-a short' finger 15 narrower than the rest of the spring so that it may pass between the heads 2 of adjacent rails.

When the springs 10 are in place between adjacent rails in the side grooves a thereof the hump 11 is adapted to rest on the two base portions 8 of the rails while the end of the leg 12 and the curved portion 14: of the leg 18 rests against the under side of the heads of the rails, with the finger 15 press ing against the side of the endmost type on the surface between the heads of the rails 2. The tendency of the spring is to cause the legs thereof to come together sl ghtly Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

so that they are constrained in the position shown and thus bind on the tops and hottoms of the rail grooves. This effectively holds the type against shifting.

The finger 15 presses evenly against the side of the type and does not have a tendency to tip them or cause them to stand askew. This also permits the use of grooved type, the feet of which may be transversely beveled below the grooves 6 in the sides of the type, i. 6., multigraph standard type. When the type have parallel transverse faces, as shown in the drawing, the fingers 15 may be omitted if desired.

To put the locking springs in place they are simply placed between therails by ones fingers and then a tool similar to a screw driver point with a notch cizt in it is inserted between the rails, as indicated at 20 on Fig. 4:, and shoved diagonally downwardly on the leg 12 of the spring, freeing it from its binding enga ement with the rails. At the same time the horizontal component of the diagonal shove carries the freed spring lengthwise into contact with the type, as shown in Fig. 4. To free the lock the same tool 20 is shoved diagonally downwardly in the opposite direction against the le 12 of the spring, thus freeing this leg rom the rail head 2 and carrying the spring away from the type.

By reason of the rounded hum 11 at the bend of the spring and the roun ed portion 14 in the leg 13, the spring has an easy sliding engagement with the rail bases and heads whenever the leg 12 is freed from the rail head. lhe leg 12, however, by reason of its straight abrupt end tends to bind on the rail head 2 and thus firmly locks the clip until such binding action is released.

My springs or clips are very cheaply constructed and practice has demonstrated that they may be very easily installed and removed, and that when in place they effectively hold the type against longitudinal displacement.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with parallel rails adapted to hold type between them; said rails having overhanging heads; of a leaf 4 spring adapted to be shoved in the space between the rails and beneath the heads, said spring having an intermediate hump and; I

two rapidly diverging legs, said legs engaging the under sides of the projecting heads of the rails and one of them having an abrupt end and the other a rounded end.

2. The combination, with a pair of par-' tween the rails and engaging the spring may shove it lengthwise of the rails in either direction.

3. The combination, with parallel rails grooved on their opposite sides, of type held between such rails, and a ocking spring held between the rails and consisting of a bent leaf providing a hump which engages the lower face of the grooves in two adjacent rails and two diverging legs uhich engage the upper face of such grooves, one of such legs being rounded adJaCent to its end and the other abrupt at its end to bind.

on the upper faces of the grooves without lateral pressure.

. 4. A device for locking lines of type consisting of a leaf spring bent to present a.

legs, and a short finger projecting from-one ooved at hump on one side and having two diverging leg adjacent to its free end and narrowerthan the width of the leg.

5. The combination, with parallel rails grooved on their opposite sides, of grooved type held between such rails, and a locking spring held between the rails and consisting of a bent leaf providin a bump which engages the lower face 0 the grooves in two adjacent rails, and two project-ing legs'which engage the upperfaceof such grooves one;

of such legs having a finger substantially at right angles to the length of the rails.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES E. GILBERT. I

'lVitnesses:

HAROLD H. GILBERT, WINONA SMITH. 

